Till You Come to the End
by Shiinmaru-dono
Summary: Sequel to Down the Rabbit Hole  With the Black Council involved, the Alex Rider, his new family, and the Leverage team only have one option to save the world: Harry Dresden...whose not amongst the living. Slash mpreg squick  see prev. story for warnings
1. Prologue

**_Till You Come to the End: Then Stop_**

_By Shiinmaru-dono and Sho-dono_

**Author's Note**:

Wow, we're starting this massive thing and all I keep thinking is Rick O'Connell from the Mummy staring at Hamunaptra and saying, "Here we go again." I then promptly think of the catastrophes (plural, more than one) that followed. Yeah, that totally doesn't bode well at all. Hope this isn't a self-fulfilling prophecy but…I have a feeling that his will get far too big to manage. Seriously, ever heard a writer complain about how her/his characters (borrowed or otherwise) seem to take on a life of their own? Yeah, that's happen; it's not a lie or exaggeration – Sho and I have been relegated to the rolls of nannies babysitting super hyper children. *shudders* I want my tranq gun… By the way, the first chapter (the prologue) is very, very, very short.

*Lifts head from fox-hole to check for danger* Wanna take refuge in here with me? I have cookies and machine guns.

O, and just so you all know why it's taken us so damned long to start this thing I'll let you in on a fraction of our real lives. Shiin is trying to survive two labs at the same time while making sure her roomies don't die of starvation; I am at school forced to wake up at seven in the morning instead of eleven. Also, my comments will be taking a slightly militant flare as I have been watching Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Generation Kill in that order, on repeat for the last several months… I think I need help.

**Prologue**

The conference room was cold even though the thermostat was set at seventy degrees, even the sunlight streaming through the floor to ceiling windows was doing very little to warm the frigid air. Yassen's jaw twitched as he gazed silently at the man across the table from him as Iraya continued to appeal to the green-eyed tiger's better nature. At least she was trying to, but the Russian was beginning to believe that it didn't even exist. Every request and appeal was met with a well thought-out refusal.

"This is ridiculous, John! You would be helping to save the world. You were already fighting them, now fight them with us," she intoned, all but grinding her teeth.

"That may be so, Lady Iraya, but I am only fighting those who invade my territory or harm my people. What you are suggesting would take more resources and man-power than I am willing or able to dedicate to the task and, quite simply, there's very little for me to gain by doing so." The businessman folded his hands in front of him and leaned back in his chair, frowning.

"'Little to gain'? Listen to yourself! Fine. Very well. Perhaps we cannot provide monetary or public gains but I can return Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden back to life if you aid us," she answered sharply, stiffening her back and haughtily lifting her chin. Yassen watched the slight, almost invisible, widening of the other's eyes, and the tensing of his shoulders with interest; for a normal man it was the equivalent of falling out of his chair or fainting in shock.

The dark-haired man pulled his lips back in a slight snarl as he leaned forward, pressing his hands flat on the table, "That," he spoke lowly, dangerously, "is not only an impossibility but it goes against the law that Thou Shalt Not Reach Beyond the Border of Death. You would be beheaded by the White Council in a heartbeat if you even tried."

"The White Council has no authority over me and my Clan. And I won't be reaching beyond death's door; two gods owe me boons – one free get out of death card, really. I can use it as I please and can choose to bring your wizard back if I were so inclined. Do we have a deal, John?"

The Gentleman studied the vampiress carefully. He didn't doubt that she spoke truthfully, but... "I would need a show of good faith from you before I endanger any of my men."

Iraya felt a smirk begin to grow but she quickly forced it off her face, "That is agreeable; we'll need an isolated location on a ley-line junction. Can you provide that?"

"Yes. There is an isolated island out in Lake Michigan. There is a powerful ley-line that runs beneath it and my sources tell me that the spirit of the isle holds Dresden in its favor."

"You mean Demonreach?" The human's eyebrow lifted slightly in surprise. The vampiress waved her hand in dismissal, "All who are in the know are aware of Demonreach and how...fond it has become of Dresden. It should work perfectly."

John smiled thinly and stood, signaling that the meeting was over, Iraya and Yassen followed and the English woman held out her hand, "I thank you for your help."

Gentleman Johnny Marcone shook her hand calmly before stating simply, "If you try to double-cross me I will not hesitate to remove you."

"Likewise, old friend, likewise." She gave a dark smile before walking towards the door, motioning for Yassen to do the same.

The assassin glanced back at the human-suited tiger and wondered briefly exactly who the hell Dresden was.

* * *

><p><strong>POST AN<strong>

Okay, this is Sho-dono and I have been asked by Shiin to inform all of you beautiful fans that because of difficulties and drama in real life updates for this are going to happen on a MONTHLY basis instead of weekly like our previous fic. Mostly because Shiin was an idiot and is taking a six class load with two labs this semester and is overworking herself; so some of these chapters are going to primarily be written by me until Shiin is feeling better. Sho-dono out!


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Note:**

Hello, darlings. Sho-dono here and, yes, I know we are a couple weeks late on the month promise but we've been…busy (trapped) with familial obligations. But here is the next chapter and it is, admittedly a tad short but I swear to you by all the leftover turkey in my fridge that the next chapter will more than make up for it.

Yeah, school also constitutes as a giant time suck of epic proportions. Especially, when one takes five classes at once with one of the courses being headed by the equivalent of a drunken monkey with an abacus. Gods, I hate that professor and I hate even more that I need a petition to get his useless ass fired and replaced by a more competent one. Oh well, he was warned in the beginning and told to correct himself multiple times by everyone in the class collectively and individually. Anyway, I salute you all for putting up with us and our untimely updates. *gives salute dressed only in helmet, camo panties, flak-jacket, and war paint with an M-60 leaning against the chest and a barretta in a thigh holster* Before I send you all off to read, I must first scold drumline for being cowardly. You were seriously scared by our threat? You shouldn't be, unless you were actually planning to gives us a red-neck style flame. You weren't, were you drumline? Shiinmaru-dono out… *gives serial killer grin and moves M-60 into both hands*

*rolls eyes at Shiinmaru-dono's outfit and settles back in foxhole pulling helmet over eyes in order to sleep* What she said.

"Who is Dresden?" the Russian queried once they'd made it back the hotel. The High Lady raised her hand in a halting motion.

"Let's get the others on Skype so I don't have to explain this more than once; I do grow so tired of repeating things."

When the pair entered one of their suites, Hardison and Eliot looked up curiously. "So what'd he say?" Alec queried.

"He'll help…for... a price." She raised her hand again before the geek or the other members of the team could protest, "It's not monetary and I've not much use for it anyway. We'll need a boat to get to an island and time for some spellcraftspell-craft to secure the Baron's alliance."

"What are we paying him then?" Hardison asked, leery; money was easy but the whole magic thing...he'd figured out fairly quickly that it got messy reallyridiculously fast as he'd learned. . As the entire Leverage team had learned when they'd put Sophie on a plane to her hide-away in an undisclosed location somewhere in Europe. She'd said she needed some time away from everything and that she'd return...but not until after this war was done. The hacker shuddered; he hadn't seen what became of the vampire Ambrose but from how Eliot and Yassen had looked after, he didn't want to know.

"Get everyone on a conference call and I'll explain everything."

It took a while for everyone on the other end of the call to assemble and quiet themselves, but once they had Iraya wasted no time in explaining things. "Baron Marcone has agreed to assist us in our fight in return for bringing the wizard Harry Dresden back from the dead. Dresden was, before his assassination, one of the strongest practitioners of our era, especially taking in his age, he would have only grown stronger with time and, once he is revived, he will continue on that path. Unfortunately, just before his death he became the Winter Knight," Peng hissed sharply at that, "but we should be able to argue a case with Queen Mab that since he was killed after he had assumed the mantle and since her power hadhas been returned to her, then he is no longer in her service or her debt. Peng I'm leaving that one to you."

"Why am I forced to parley with that mad woman? She will simply try to kill me...again."," the old man grumbled unhappily.

"Suck it up, old man," she ordered. "The only reason Marcone is willing to trade for Dresden's life is because the man is desperately in love with the reckless buffoon. If we can't get Dresden out from under the Winter Queen then bringing him back would be a moot point."

"I'm not so comfortable with the idea of workingworkin' with THE Chicago Region mob boss. This is just going'goin' to put a target on our backs," Eliot griped.

"He's not your traditional mafioso and you can also suck it up."

Alex lifted his head from where it had been resting on his folded arms, brows furrougheddrawn together sharply, forming a deep furrow in his brow, "Wait... he's a Mafia Don?"

"And the Freeholding Lord of Chicago; he's more trustworthy than Mr. Ford." She gave the serial killer a pointed look.

The killer just rolled his eyes and motioned for her to continue. "As I was saying., Marcone is willing to do this because he is in love with Dresden. Dresden, as previously stated, is a buffoon and doesn't realize this,. SO when he does arrive it would be best if none of you mentioned that particular tidbit of information." Those gathered all nodded in understanding, before Iraya continued, "We should be able to have this taken care of by morning, the day after tomorrow, so Peng," the old dragon sighed, knowing what was coming, "you'll need to go talk to Mab now. The rest of you should start getting ready for war... again."


End file.
